


Running

by JForward



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, It's a bit soft, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JForward/pseuds/JForward
Summary: Yaz awakes in the middle of the night to someone screaming like their life's in danger.She doesn't expect the answer to be The Doctor.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 75





	Running

Screaming

Someone's screaming.

With a jolt, Yaz rolled out of her bed, ending up in a messy tangle on the floor. Police officer instincts her rear end, kicking off the soft, warm quilt that had tangled itself around her.  
The screaming had stopped. 

Sitting up, finally free of the tangle, half tripping in her pyjamas, Yaz came to a breathless stop.   
Was she imagining it? Had it been a dream? Half-asleep, she pushed open the door. The TARDIS was in what she considered 'night mode'. They all had their own rooms, down a hexagonal path, and the light was a warm, comforting orange tone. Peering down the corridor often felt like what she imagined it would at Hogwarts; they definitely seemed to shift and move. Hard adventures always made it seem like the doors were the first ones they'd encounter, or when the TARDIS was mad she might send them in circles.

It was weird, for a machine, how much the TARDIS seemed to care. Like their rooms! Hers was opposite Ryan's, Graham's was a door down. Deep blue, hers, with silvery stars on it; YAZ, a nameplate read. Ryan's was red, with big black dots like a ladybird, and Graham's was a classic old oak. She wasn't sure why they gave her comfort, but they did. Peering down the corridor, Yaz wondered again if she'd imagined it. The TARDIS rumbled, a steady life that had once kept her awake but now soothed her rest. She considered crawling back into bed, figuring it must have just been a nightmare, but -

There it was again. It chilled her, cold rushing into her veins.   
Moving off from the door, Yaz's feet hit the hexagon grilles as the TARDIS began to brighten, lighting her way to the console room.  
The Doctor had taught her more than the police ever had.  
Hearing someone scream like that, raw fear, drove the officer in her to the surface. She might've been in her comfy pyjamas and having just woken up, but right now, she knew she had to help.  
It wasn't until she saw the great crystals of the console room that she realised that feminine scream could only belong to the Doctor.

"Doctor?" she called out. The room was brightening quickly, and she could've sworn she heard the console hum louder, then rumble. The lights pulsed, a slight leaning of the focus of the room. There it was - that scream, again, so loud, so pained, her blood running cold and nausea rising in her throat. Yaz felt feet moving, heading around the immense board of controls, knowing she was travelling but terrified of what she'd see. What felt like it lasted an eternity could've only been a breath.

Training fled, and she froze.   
At first, her brain wouldn't connect it. This tiny ball on the floor, wrapped so tightly in her coat, legs drawn to chest and hands tangled in blonde hair. The trembles that wracked her whole body.   
Dropping to her knees, Yaz moved closer, reaching out - confused, scared.

The Doctor's breathing was fast, so fast, gasping, as if she was suffocating. Yaz could see her eyes were shut, taking in a deep breath, screaming again - wincing back, the young officer had to resist the urge to cover her ears.   
"Doctor!" she reached out urgently to grab ahold of her shoulder, squeezing it, giving her a shake. "Doctor. Doctor, what's wrong? What's wrong?" 

There was a gasp, and Yaz fell backwards to avoid being headbutted. She got a brief glance of wide, hazel eyes, tear tracts down sharp cheekbones, falling back onto her elbows.  
The Doctor was looking wildly side to side before she scrabbled up, grasping onto the side of the console, hands more like claws.  
Confused, Yaz scrambled up, staring at the way she hunched her shoulders in the coat. Reaching out, throwing a switch before she stilled, almost doubled.

"Doctor?" she whispered again, stepping in close, reaching out to touch the Doctor's shoulder. She could feel the muscles banded, despite how skinny she was, the rat-tat-rat-tat of the double heartbeat, pounding. That was a little alarming. "Are you okay? You were - screaming -"  
"What? No. Me? I'm fine!" her voice was strained and she straightened just a little, breathing hitching just a little as she looked up at the great, crystaline construct in the middle of the console. The warm light made the tears in her eyes look like flickering fires, and for a moment, Yaz was breathless.

But of course, the hazel flickered away again, and Yaz was snapped back to reality.  
"Doctor." she said, more intensely now, "You've just woken me up and I really hate bein' woken up without due cause so I'd really appreciate it if you -"  
"Just a nightmare." she doesn't miss the way the Doctor's voice has dropped, just a little, and she's doggedly not looking. "Little nightmare. Nothing to worry about. Normal."  
"You were asleep? On the floor?" she asked, and saw rather than heard the Doctor's sigh in response.  
"Catnap! Just a quick catnap, Yaz, you know me, don't need much sleep -"  
"You were sleeping on the floor and you had a nightmare."   
"Yeah."

She let out a long, slow breath, staring at her. How could she help? What could she do? She didn't even imagine the Doctor sleeping, and she wasn't sure why that felt so strange to her. The Doctor sleeping. It would be a stroke against the powerful, almost omniscient presence her mind had made the Time Lord out to be. But here it was, laid out in front of her.  
A nightmare so bad she'd screamed, and even now, she was refusing help.  
"Do you wanna tell me what it was about?" she asked, keeping her voice soft.  
The Doctor tilted her hair back, before scrunching up her nose.  
"Nah, I'm good. You should get back to bed, though. Big day planned!" she responded, giving Yaz a bright beam. She didn't miss the tear tracks that still marked the face, the way the smile shook, how quickly she turned away.

"Nah."   
"Nah?" the Doctor turned, eyebrow quirking, angling her face in a little. "Don't you nah me, Yasmin Khan. Go to bed!" her voice got just a touch higher, and as light as her tone was, Yaz was sure she was rattled.  
"Nah. Not goin' anywhere, Doctor." she said, and gave a smile of her own, even if it was just a touch shaky.  
"Ooh, cheeky, aren't you?" the Doctor grinned regardless, and moved away. She paused, and then knelt down, digging under the console before she unlatched a panel, putting it aside.

"What're you doing?" Yaz asked, confused.  
"Some repairs!" the Doctor called back.  
"Ten minutes ago, you were screaming. You sure that's smart?"   
"Yaz!" she didn't hide how offended she was, sticking her head back up from where she'd vanished into the hole, peering across. Yaz had to fight off a giggle because of only being able to see her from the nose up. "I'm quite capable of taking care of the TARDIS even after a nightmare thank you!" she vanished again.  
Getting up, Yaz padded over, and then laid on her belly so she could peer down where the Doctor was, lit by the internal lights. The TARDIS let out a light chirrup, and the Doctor tutted at her.

"What're you doing?"  
"You wouldn't understand."  
"Try me."  
"You really do get cheeky when you should be in bed!" The Doctor looked up at her, "I'm going to be rewiring the internal phasing consanguination unit so that the phesmasmer wires connecting the metabolising internal conscience matrix won't vassimilize so badly when we materialise!"  
"... Okay, so I might not have gotten any of that."   
"I told you! Honestly." she wiggled some wires around, pulling a tool out of her pocket, something like a spanner. "I have to fix her up all the time. Nobody left to run official repairs. I think she likes my repairs more, anyway."  
The TARDIS let out a loud whistle, and even Yaz grinned at that. "Oi, you! Nobody else is fixing you up." she said, and the TARDIS was quiet again as Yaz chuckled.

She went quiet, watching as the Doctor worked, deft fingers steady. She waited for any sign of shaking, any sign of weakness, arms crossed under her head. The Doctor hummed softly under her breath, and moved after a while to a soft singing. It was strange. Yaz had heard the Doctor do karaoke; she sounded like a cat being murdered by a vacuum cleaner! But this was different. It was melodic, raising and falling, and soothing. The console room was warm, too, and it was - relaxing to watch her work.  
"What are you singing?" Yaz asked, softly.   
The Doctor paused, as if considering her answer. Finally, she spoke, giving Yaz a tiny smile.  
"It's in Gallifreyan. My language." she said, softly, "Just an old lullaby."  
"You have a nice voice." she mumbled.   
"It's the language." the Doctor said, softer now, "It's just how it sounds. You should've heard the professionals, back home. Or how it sounded with a hundred voices singing. Not me, though. I was always at the back at the school pageants." she chuckled, glancing up again.

Yaz's eyes were shut. The Doctor resumed her song, stilling her hands, waiting until her excellent hearing detected Yaz was truly asleep. Then she sat back a little, thoughtfully, and turned her eyes to the console.   
"How could you ever understand?" she whispered. "Oh, Yaz... I've seen whole civilizations burn. I've seen my own people destroyed. I've killed my own people." her throat bobbed and she looked down at the wires, resting the panel back where it was supposed to go. She climbed out with surprising grace, making barely a sound.

"How could I explain that to any of you?" she swallowed hard, rubbing exhausted eyes. Running. Always running. Don't let herself feel the darkness, ever at the edges of her mind, ever ready to come out if she didn't control it. Hope, and love, and kindness. Never a coward. Well...   
"And yet my mind still shows me that." she gave a very soft breath of a laugh. "Shows me losing you. Graham, Ryan, Yaz... my worst nightmare. Not able to save you." she swallowed hard, and then carefully slid her arms under Yaz, scooping her up and lifting her easily. Yaz mumbled and the Doctor moved a hand, pressing it to the side of her head, pushing her mind back into sleep.  
"Let's get you to bed." she whispered, feeling the roughness in her throat.   
"Big day tomorrow."


End file.
